#call of duty cold war pictures

[verynordiclars]

woods and bell pt1

[tomialtooth]

[quizzyisdone]

good googly moogly

@wavegrandpa & @dibbles-01-blog

[mnasthaii]

ADLER + BELL

litterae-ignotae on tumblr / norwegian wood - haruki murakami / a crime - sharon van etten / galacticidiots on twitter / lie with me - philippe besson / miss you. want to get noodles with you. disregard this, after gabrielle calvocoressi - lev st. valentine / exiles: a play in three acts - james joyce

[efingcod]

Frank Woods - Redlight, Greenlight

[writer-of-various]

"Goodbye everybody, I've got to go,"

"Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth."

"Mama, ooh (any way the wind blows),"

"I don't wanna die."

"I sometimes wish I'd been never born at all."

Some people are meant to be alive. They can try to die over and over again but they'll simply use one of their infinite lives and just have to learn to toughen out their existence. Evan Garin can't fucking die, it seems. I mean, trying to blow himself up in a safehouse about to be overran by the fucking KGB and Spetznaz? Impossible to survive from. And yet here he is, at least 20 miles away from the ruined safehouse, being treated by an American with a soothing accent that hits way too close to home.

"You have full protection under me. I will ensure your full recovery and security if you willingly hand me over information regarding the USSR." The mysterious man says softly under his breath, his touch gentle as he treats Evan's wounds. The injured man scoffs, the cigarette he holds shaking with his hand as night starts to creep in and the weather drops.

"Don't lie to me. You want information about Perseus."

"I know what I need to know about Perseus. It's not the biggest threat. You give me intel, I also grant your agents protection."

Evan narrows his eyes, "Intel on who?"

"Raul Menendez."

[skaamit]

Оу... в «Black Ops 6» есть скин с обложки «Black Ops Cold War».

Афигенно. Уже лучший облик в игре. Фармим его.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 / Xbox Series S

🟢 xbox.com

[celenawrites]

John Price is a natural leader.

Always taking the lead on the field and off duty. Always confident, self-assured in his abilities to guide himself and others through difficult situations with ease.

He's always so worried about his team - slipping in some antihistamines in Gaz's pockets whenever his dust allergies kick in and make his sneezes ring out on base at ungodly hours, making sure Johnny doesn't end up recklessly in another communal mess 'fight'', and checking up on Simon after a rough mission drains all life out of his blue eyes, leaving him dull and mute from the trauma of surviving another war.

He never forgets to wish his teammates birthday, always tries his best to push them to take extra leaves so they can visit family and rest after an arduous mission, and even indulges in their frivolous past times, if only to make time pass by easier.

He always remembers to send Kate and her wife flowers as a 'thank you' for hosting him for dinner, never forgets to call Laswell and congratulate her on successful jobs, and makes sure to send the finest bottle of wine for letting some of his 'rebellious actions' go under the radar.

So when he finally comes down with the seasonal flu, you take it upon yourself to reciprocate the generosity he graces everyone with - not letting the man leave the warm, soft bed as you tend to every need of his throughout the day.

"Sweetheart, get back to bed. I'll be fine", John tells you but his stuffy nose makes his voice sound more nasally than usual.

You tut at him, recalling his high temperature, "I cannot laze around while you're suffering and need me, John. Now let me take care of you, and put the cold compress on."

"Yes ma'am."

You run around, from room to room - arranging things and making sure to check in on your dear fiance to make sure he's not in pain while you prepare some home remedies for him.

A herbal mixture you make him drink for his sore throat, which Price downs with a small wince; changing his cold compress with a new one so he can rest comfortably. Turning down the lights so that his eyes don't smart anymore, and he can actually take a nap around noon while you work on lunch - chicken noodle soup and warm porridge that can warm him up from inside and are easy on the stomach - recalling every little trick your Mum did whenever you got sick.

And when you finally come back in the room to find John sleeping, you take a moment to breathe calmly as you slowly admire him. His flushed cheeks, freshly-trimmed mutton chops, his freckle on his nose and how his nose scrunches up while he's deep in his sleep, and how oddly comforting it is - to have him in your home, to see him resting after months of separation and knowing that he possibly hasn't slept this peacefully in ages.

"Take a picture, darling. It'll last ya longer", calls out a raspy voice, followed by a dry chuckle.

Felling your ears warm up at being caught by the very object of your attention, you promptly deflect, "Oh, shut it, you big dork. Lunch's ready, if you'd like to have it."

"With you?" John asks rhetorically, with a small fond smile on his face.

"Always."

[badgrammerlieshere]

Fire

Just thought I would throw this together. It has not been double checked :p

The flames dancing in the fireplace hardly filled the ever-cold room with any warmth. It was puzzling why the servants continued to stoke the flames as nothing would ever take away the biting cold that nipped at your bare feet and naked shoulders.  It had been hours since he had left. The minutes before, we were showered in a skittish energy. Aegon had sat on the bed, the sheets disarray a picture of past activities. The tension in his shoulders was evident with every small movement. For a man so eager for war you knew he feared it so. You had come up behind him and wrapped your arms around his sturdy figure. Aegon had taken his shaking hands and pulled you from behind him and into his lap.

“You needn't go” you had said curling the small pieces of hair that always lay near his brow.

“A king belongs on the battlefield, everyone knows that” he replied a smile not meeting his eyes as he caught your hand in his own pressing a small kiss against your wrist.

“The King belongs here. With me. You are vulnerable outside of these walls Aegon.” A real smile spread across his face this time. Aegon leaned forward pressing his forehead against your own humming softy.

“Sounds as though you worry for me. What would your mistress Sylvie think?

“She would think me very foolish.” You exclaimed moving from his lap towards the privacy screen at the other end of the room. The mention of your true nature only stood to remind you of your position in this room, this castle, this world. You and Aegon were nothing outside of this room. Just a boy pretending to be a king and a whore playing the part of a dutiful lover. Fastening the ties of your dress you took a look outside of the barrier. Aegon had resumed his distant posture. Though you had no marital ties to one another he hadn't lied you did worry for him. Aegon was never built for war. He had a softer underbelly that was easily exposed.

“Can you promise me one thing?” your voice shook him out of his stupor his hand outstretched as he beckoned you closer.

“Anything.”

“You will call upon me tonight?” you blushed at the pleading tone in your voice. To make such a demand of a king was ludicrous. Aegon also appeared shocked at your question before standing off the bed and drawing you close to his chest. His arm snaked around your waist.

“How about you wait for me? No need to waste time calling for you. Remain here until I return.” He unhooked one arm from his place behind your back and cradled the side of your cheek. Brushing over the smooth skin. A broad smile found itself on your face.

“If that is what you desire, my grace.”

That had been hours ago the sun had long set since then and the palace had been deathly quiet. Hoards of soldiers had been sent to fight. Servants had made themselves scarce and quiet. With only a few reappearing to stoke the flames of the unnecessary fire. A cat sat in the middle of your lap. Sleeping on the job. Only the distant thumping of wings attracted your attention. A dragon. The army. The battle. They had returned. Aegon. You hurriedly rushed for the door at the great upset of the cat which disapproved of its bed suddenly moving. You opened the door only slightly looking for any moving bodies there was loud chatter in the throne room. Aegon often retreated into his cups late into the night but he could never forget you. He had asked you to stay. Hoping perhaps that he would soon be appearing at the door you slowly closed it shut and awaited his arrival. But it never came. It was only until the castle fell silent once more did you made your move. With meager steps, you slunk about the corridors grasping with hope that you would encounter a head of silver hair and a playful smile. Eventually, you found yourself in front of the small council chambers an unusual place for Aegon to end up but perhaps there was an emergency meeting after the rooks rest.

Pushing the door open you were greeted by a dark room. No fire was kept stoked but in the center of the room in the chair of the king a man with silver hair sat.

“Aemond.” His name left your mouth in a whisper. And his head jerked up to look at you. He hadn't expected to see you or anyone for that matter.

“What are you doing here.” he stood and prowled around the table.

“I was waiting…for Aegon.” At the mention of his brother Aemond looked away facing the small chart of battle plans laid on the other side of the room.

My brother will not be needing a whore tonight. It will do you well if you head home. Your services aren't needed here.” His answer was curt and short. “Perhaps if you are lucky you will find a man to spare you a coin on the way home.” His answer filled you with a sickly feeling that hit the pit of your stomach. It wasn't often you found yourself in the presence of Aemond. Often Aegon had such a need for your company that he rushed you into his chambers without a moment to spare. And while the young prince had frequented the brothel he often found comfort in the company of your mistress.

“Where is he? Before I take my leave that's all I wish to know.” You moved slowly behind Aemond trying to catch his gaze. While it was true Aegon could be cruel he would never abandon you like this. The only time in which he had cast you aside was the night of his father's death. And since then you had scarcely left his side.

“Arent whores supposed to be agreeable. I've said leave.” Aemond finally turned to face you. “Aegon is indisposed.” A small smirk graced the prince's face. Which only further fueled the small pocket of hate and worry in your heart.

“Have you done something?” The words took to the air before you could fully process them and from the look on his face, they shocked him as much as you. Aemond quickly schooled his face.

“You speak of treason.”

“It's only a question.” Your fear of what the answer was pushed you to grasp for answers. What had happened to Aegon? Only this morning he had been in your arms. Now his presence was a mystery. Aemond’s lack of answer made the flurry of nerves erupt in your body.

“You have, haven't you? Though I'm sure it was nothing but an “accident”. Your hate consumes you Aemond. It makes you foolish.” The bite of your words through themselves into the air.

“Don't pretend to know of my hate.” Aemond stepped closer to you putting his hand against the hilt of a dagger at his hip.

“You're not quite as hard to read as you think. Your thoughts soak through these layers you wear. Not to mention my madame has a penchant to talk.” At the mention of Sylvie, Aemond recoiled and with it, you took another step forward. “Kinslayer. That's what they call you in the streets. She tells me of your guilt and remorse, but I see none. Besides what's a brother when you've already killed a cousin?

Like a flash of light Aemond had you turned your back to his chest as he placed his dagger against the soft hollow of your throat.

“You will do well to hold your tongue when you speak to me or it shall be your last words.” He pulled you closer to himself and traced his eyes across the slope of your nose.

“A shame your beauty was wasted on him.” Disgust was evident in your eyes as you eyed Aemond.

“Don't bother my prince. I'm not sure my age would appeal to you.” He roughly pushed you away looking embarrassed.

“Leave.”

“What of Aegon?” The thoughts of your young king still swirled. The One-eyed prince looked up and surveyed your worried expression before saying nothing and turning back to the board of war details. It was an obvious dismissal. You would get no answers here. With that, you turned and left the room.

[minbells]

impossible future

armin arlert x gn!reader

content: fluff, very soft, slight angst, implied sex but non-explicit, one curse word, during time-skip, implied that it’s the day before the attack on Marley.

words: 1.4K

He was always wondering where you were. It was strange, really. Before meeting you, he never had anything that plagued his mind other than the thought of a vast world outside the walls. He would picture fiery lands and cold mountains, inspired by the pictures in his books. He would even see those sights in his dreams, imagining what it would be like to ride his horse through those magical landscapes, his friends by his side. Maybe even the air would smell different, perhaps sweeter than the scent of blood and shit he was so familiar with. Every night he dreamt of this world, the taste of freedom on his tongue.

Now, he dreams of you.

Especially at times like this. When it was quiet and late into the night, and he knew, he feared, how dangerous tomorrow would be. Even his trusty book, with its few pages loose and damaged from the years of flipping through it, wasn’t distraction enough. He trailed his fingers over the fading pictures, brushing over them with a gentleness only he possessed, and sighed. What he failed to notice was how your careful gaze was observing him in silent worry.

"You look tired."

He startled, the beautiful sound of your voice, delicate and concerned, digging him out of his reverie. When he raised his head from his book, he was more than ready to take in the sight of you, his beautiful angel who still made him blush even after months of intimacy. And you didn’t fail to disappoint him, your form standing in the opening of his private tent. He felt immediate relief.

"I didn’t think I would see you tonight," he smiled faintly, the light in his once bright blue eyes dimmed but not yet extinct. Your expression mirrored his, tired and worn out with years of sleepless nights and deadly expeditions. You turned to close the slight gap in the tent’s opening, tying the knot and smoothing the thick fabric, thus forbidding the outside world to enter your little haven.

"Hange was done with the last few details of the plan, not that I was much help to them anyways. I figured I’d come see you…" you trailed off, words left unsaid. It might be the last time we ever see each others like this. After all, you were about to set the world on fire and you doubted you could come back from this unscathed.

Well, Armin would never miss an opportunity like this one. He raised from his chair, carefully putting the worn book aside. You stood there, quiet and sleepy, unmoving as you admired him. His face was illuminated by the dimming candlelight, and while he walked the few steps that separated the two of you, you took in the intricate details of his features. It had been impossible not to fall in love with his complexion; faint freckles on his sun kissed nose, long blonde eyelashes kissing his cheeks with a blink and the soft, inviting pink plump of his lips. He called you an angel, and yet he was the otherworldly one.

The rest of his body was just as beautiful, strong yet surprisingly gentle, seemingly untouched by hunger and pain. But you knew better. You noticed how his eyes seemed to hold the burden of war and duty. You remembered oh so clearly the nights spent crying silent tears or screaming ugly sobs in each others arms. The fear of losing each others, the horror he felt at the thought of losing control and annihilating everything around him, losing friends and dying with dreams unfulfilled. These nights were all too familiar. You desperately sought for nights where gentle touches and private smiles were exchanged.

So in this moment, when you knew that if you extended your hand right in front of you, you could touch him and feel at peace, nothing could hold you back. Therefore, the only logical choice was to move forward.

And he immediately caught your extended fingers in his warm hand. You could never comprehend how soft his palms were, even after years of harsh work and training. Every soldier you knew had their hands hardened by years of slaying Titans and fighting to survive. Armin was just different, you thought. He slayed with his tongue and battled with his mind. It seemed the only purpose for his hands was to gently hold yours.

You pressed your palm on his chest, eager to feel his heartbeat. You never went a day without feeling his pulse soothing you. And he let you. The atmosphere outside the tent was tense, soldiers either readying themselves for what tomorrow would bring or drinking until they couldn’t stand. However, right in the middle of your little world bathed in candlelight and soft touches, everything seemed timeless, free from burdens and duties.

Armin leaned towards you and pressed his cheek against your forehead. He enjoyed the feeling of your warm skin against his own, your steady breath hitting his neck and your hair tickling his cheek.

"You know," he started, your skin warm, his heartbeat steady, "I’ve read about this type of fish in the ocean that we’ve never seen before. In the book, they call them 'sharks'."

You hummed, your eyes half lidded with sleep. "Sharks?" He nodded, and in a moment of tenderness, he tilted his head to kiss your cheek before returning to his previous position. You couldn’t help but smile.

"Apparently they are predators of the sea, vicious and dangerous. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they’re all hunters. The book even mentions how they have teeth sharp like razors and that they possess the ability to smell a drop of blood in the water from long distances."

"They sound quite awful. Build to kill." Your mind conjured the sight of a deadly sea animal, with teeth long and sharp like swords, eyes scarlet red and a body as big as those Marleyan boats.

"Maybe they’re just misunderstood," Armin whispered. His voice felt like a saccharine melody dripping into your soul and his hands started playing with your hair. "Perhaps it’s in their nature."

For a second, you noticed how his voice trailed off, mind lost somewhere you couldn’t follow.

"Then we should befriend them," your silly suggestion tugged a smile on his lips. "After all this. We could find out where they like to swim and build a little house there. Even if it’s in the middle of the sea." You pressed your cheek to his chest and he wrapped his arms around your waist. "We could observe them and maybe we’ll discover that they’re not so bad after all. Perhaps the biggest ones are the friendliest, the most gentle and caring sharks of all. And we’ll use your beautiful talent with words to rewrite history books and make sure those creatures are never misunderstood again."

"It seems you’ve got it all figured out," he chuckled. Walls, he loves you so much.

"Of course," it was the most obvious thing after all. Were you to survive all of this, you knew you’d spend the rest of Armin’s days exploring beyond the sea with him and befriending the world. "We’ll build our cottage, we’ll even get a dog, or three, and we’ll ride our horses onto the beach," you were mumbling against his shirt and you only now noticed how you both had unconsciously started to sway together, dancing to the music of your future.

"We could open a bookstore," he suggested, and his eyes lit up at the thought. It seemed you had both decided to ignore your impending doom. It was much more pleasant to picture yourself with Armin, walking on sandy beaches hand in hand, playing with your dogs in the fields, cooking delicious meals together, and making love into the night.

"With… lots of books in all sorts of dialects." You felt yourself dozing off, yet you fought sleep with all your might just to appreciate the moment for just a second longer. "A whole collection of books dedicated to sharks. And… multicoloured seashells and rocks to brighten up the place."

"Hmm," his eyes were closed, lost in the fantasy. Acting on instinct, he slowly and gently guided the both of you to the bundle of blankets you had accumulated on his cot over the last few weeks. You followed without question and giggled when he tugged your body so you both fell on the pile of softness. "Let’s make plans for tomorrow then."

You smiled gently and settled next to him. You tangled your legs together while he wrapped the thin blanket over your bodies.

"Yeah. Tomorrow."

He knew that tonight he would be dreaming of you and your impossible future together.

[starlight-bread-blog]

Do you think there's a more complex and nuanced outcome as a result of Katara marrying Zuko rather than it just being Katara becoming a fire lady? Especially since, technically, she's the daughter of a chief and that considers her to be a tribal princess like Yue.

That is a good question. I suppose I don't think there's a situation where Katara marries Zuko and doesn't become fire lady. Since the definition of the word is, and correct me if I'm wrong, the Fire Lord's wife. But if you mean whether she'll live in a palace, I believe that she will.

According to this article she also lived Far From Home (lol) with A\ang, and in their family picture none of them wear clothes for the SWT's cold weather. Which does make sense with how fine she was with leaving to find Aang and how she spent the entire series away from home and the show rarely treated it as an issue to be dealt with. Additionally, now that the war is over she can pay regular visits to her home.

But that doesn't mean that the chief's daughter becoming fire lady isn't complex and nuanced. First thihgs first, I want to go through what being the fire lady & daughter of the chief would mean.

The fire lady doesn't seem to have duties, since we never see Ursa do anything for the Fire Nation. But it at least has to grant you respect and THE connection to the Fire Lord. Katara isn't Ursa, and is passionate & active in nature. The role comes with a certain power that can assist with one's political pursuits greatly.

As for her being a tribal princess, as opposed to the Fire Lady, Yue explicitly that she has duties.

Yue: You don't understand. I have duties to my father, to my tribe.

But Yue was probably the heir to the throne. She had no siblings as far as we know, and she says "my tribe". I don't know whether the north would accept a female chief, given how sexist it was. But some evidence there is to support that she was the heir is this line from her fiance:

"Perks". If she was going to marry him for him to become the chief despite having no other connections to the bloodline, he wouldn't casually call becoming a chief a "perk". Furthermore, when Sokka tries to hit on her, he remarks of their simularities as they're both a prince and a princess. And Sokka is ann heir, he's the future chief.

It's likely that they were arranged for other political reasons and Yue was going to become queen. Whether she was going to be respected/accepted is up in the air.

But we do know of another heirs that might help us get a fuller picture: Eska and Desna. They had a duty to their father as a prince and a princess. It was their wish to help their father whom they believed was a great man. Which isn't typical for an heir. This is why we can look at their case to see what Katara's life as the daughter of the chief would look like. In their case, they helpped the NWT in whatever they thought was right. And it's likely that so would Katara.

What does that leave us with? A role that grants her political power in the Fire Nation with no duties, and a person with a duty to the Southern Water Tribe.

The Positive

To me this paints a clear picture: Katara would use said political power to push the Fire Nation to rehabilitate the Southern Water Tribe from their atrocities.

I'm not the first person to show these before vs. After pics, but it's very important to remember the sheer extent of the Fire Nation's harm to Katata's home.

Before:

After:

And until the show ended, Katara was still the last waterbender of the south. Don't get me wrong, it IS Zuko's job to rehabilitate the SWT. But she'd want this.

Katara always want to help those around her by any means necessery. If it's getting captured in a Fire Nation prison or blowing up a factory, she will find the power to help others. So the power to fix the wrongs inflicted on her own culture and home being given to her, just for loving who she wants to love, is incredibly rewarding and narrativly satisfying.

The Negatives

1. All of what I've just described is good in theory, but in practice she's likely to face immense backlash. The people of the Fire Nation have been indoctrinated into believing the war was good and were fed Fire Nation propaganda since their school days (The Headband) and continued well into adulthood (Ember Island Players).

Suddenly the new fire lord comes along and decides that the war they've been fighting fir a 100 years is bad actually. And NOW he's dating a waterbender and the daughter of the chief, no less. + Suddenly the girl is starting to have demands. She'll be one of the most cobtroversial figures of that era, and that's no easy task.

2. It opens the door for one bad situation that no one could be blamed for. What if Zuko's heir would be a waterbender? That cannot be. Will the role of the heir go to whoever's a firebender/none bender regardless of order? What would it make their kids feel? Will Zuko be okay with how it'd make his kids feel? It raises so many questions, so many complexities and there seem to be no winners.

But looking at these negatives from a perspective of literary merit, as A:TLA is a fictional work, are these really negatives? I'd say no. There is no real suffering at stake here, only captivating conflicts to be explored. In real life, these nasty situations have to be dealt with. They're raw, they're complicated, and in literature, that's good. Conflicts are the oxygen of a story. Especially ones with no easy answers.

In conclusion, Katara marrying Zuko would make her the fire lady. This would lead to complex and nuanced situations, both good and bad, making for excellent conflicts/character progressions.

I don't know if this is the answer you wanted, but these are my thoughts. Thank you for the ask and have a nice day! 💕

[tomialtooth]

Park showing Bell off to her fellow MI6 agents and it has the same aura of vibes that those clips of judges at cat/dog shows cooing over a particularly spectacular specimen does

[littlemissclandestine]

Why I think Russell Adler is going to make a comeback in COD 2024

WARNING⚠️: Contains spoilers for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Disclaimer: This is all just speculation on my behalf of course. I've just tried piecing stuff together for fun because Russ is one of my fave BO characters even though he's a bitch but i need more Adler content stat. <33

Let's get into it peeps. HEAR ME OUT.

Buckle up. Gonna be one hell of a ride folks 🤪

We'll start off with some random/background info.

Russ was born on February 12th 1937 so that would make him 53/54 in the Gulf War era. This actually isn't that old because if you think about it, Woods was about to turn 51 in 1981 during the Cold War campaign. What's a few more years?

We last saw Adler in action post-campaign in Warzone 1.0 cinematics but we've been kept in the dark about Adler's whereabouts post-1984 (after being brainwashed and killing Stitch LOL).

This meanie in a beanie wasn't forgotten about, oh no. He appears in the new cinematic intros on startup for both MWII (2022) and MWIII (2023). See below:

He was also featured twice in the 20 year anniversary video for Call of Duty whereas COD Ghosts didn't even get an appearance (ouch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL_w5HmxsPI

I personally believe Adler was a great addition to the Black Ops roster and is essentially the new Black Ops 'cover boy' now. Would be such a shame and a missed opportunity not to include a character like him in the upcoming COD. One who is morally grey, does whatever he deems necessary to get the job done - a bit like Cpt. Price in MW. Got the COD fans riled up about him brainwashing and pulling the trigger on Bell too - he's already got the spotlight in both a good and bad way.

Now, let's explore my main reasoning as to why I think Mr Shades 2.0 is most likely coming back in late 2024...

🎖️First up: Gulf War mission list 🔫

Here are some of the campaign missions that will be featured in Black Ops Gulf War. Obviously, this is subject to change, however, going off what we have, look closely...

Credit: @MWIIINTEL on Twitter/X

Safehouse guys...SAFEHOUSE. Takes you right back to Cold War, doesn't it? Ugh the potential.

🕵️ Next up: The campaign for COD 2024 will dive into the CIA's role/the Black Ops timeline 🕘

I took the following snippet from this official article.

From this, we know there will be a huge focus on the CIA and who's a CIA clandestine special officer? Mhm, you guessed it - Russell Adler.

Now, according to the events of BO2, it's evident which characters have the possibility of returning out of our original BO trio - Jason Hudson, Frank Woods and Alex Mason.

💫 Alex is presumed dead after Frank shot him so he's out the picture in '90/91 until 2025 when they canonically meet again.

🪵 Woods would be in his 60s during this time too so I'll let you decide whether that's too old for him to be in GW.

Edit: Woods got SPAS-12'd in the kneecaps on Dec 20th 1989 by Raul Menendez so uh...yeah

🧊 Hudson died on Dec 20th 1989 at the hands of Raul Menendez.

Feel free to check out this website (Call of Duty Wiki) for an outline of the events after CW to remind yourself. Here's a link to the Black Ops timeline from there.

➡️ Gulf War being a direct sequel to Cold War and what that could mean 💉

That brings me onto the rest of the safehouse crew. Since GW is a direct sequel to CW, it would make sense for some characters to carry over if possible:

We, as the player/Bell, get to choose whether Park or Lazar die (or both lovebirds) in 'End of the Line'. It's highly unlikely they'll return unless the devs make one decision canon maybe.

There could be a chance we see Sims again given his bond with Adler (Da Nang etc.), his age (late 40s in GW) and his status (alive).

That leaves the man himself, Russ. Everything from his age to the fact he's CIA and was the deuteragonist in COD 2020's campaign just makes sense for him to have at least a lil cameo or even a larger role, don't you think?

📱Finally: Hints from official posts 🔎

This post from Call of duty's official Instagram account kind of sealed the deal for me.

Oh lookie - they dropped syringe-lover's famous line in a zombies post. Why would COD just drop it so casually like that without a reason and years after CW came out? They could've said absolutely anything else but no, this was purposeful.

And that's all for this episode guys and gals!

Thank you for reading!! 🫂

Do what you will with all this information but I have concluded in my silly little brain that scarface is coming back.

How he's only in one game is beyond me. Won't get a character like him ever again. Seems like a cliché war dude at first glance but dig a little deeper into the details of the CW campaign, peel back the layers and get into his psychology and WOWZERS.

Am I delusional? Most definitely.

But the possibility he might be returning...that little bit of hope is enough for me and i won't shut up about it.

This will age horribly if he isn't in GW. Forgive me for feeding your delusions too in that case. Please?

What are your thoughts? Feel free to share them! 😊

------

EDIT: Y'ALL IT'S HAPPENING 😭😭

[herrscherofmagic]

long and spoiler-y and messy summary of my many thoughts on HI3rd Part 2 Chapter 7:

first of all, what the fuck, Helia??

second, the snowy battlefield scenes were probably the single most fundamentally "Honkai" story scenes that Mihoyo's written in like... the last 4 years or so.

Like, I don't think Mihoyo's ever gone that far before to show us just how deadly Honkai (or in this case, the "Calamity") truly is to the average soldier, and even the "supersoliders".

In most of Honkai's story, we follow incredibly powerful and skilled characters. Even in her weak moments like in Arc City, Kiana still had extraordinary endurance and stamina. And we rarely actually ever fought alongside ordinary valkyries. The only two instances I can think of would be Arc City and Coral City, and both of those were from the perspective of said super-powerful valkyries fighting alongside the weaker troops.

But here, on that snowy battlefield... it was something completely different.

The battlefield ambience with the audible & visible cannonfire in the background, the burning buildings, the corpses of civilians and soldiers alike amidst swarms of monsters... visually, it still has the style of an anime gacha game, but I could close my eyes and just listen to the sound and picture the scene in my mind so, so viscerally.

It gives me all the same feeling that I felt all those years ago when I played games like Halo: Reach, which had a similar "squad of elite soldiers fighting swarms of monsters on a dying world" theme but with a gritty & realistic visual style and writing.

This might've been one of the most well-constructed visual sequences in almost all of HI3rd's gameplay stages. Obviously cinematics would look prettier, but when talking about *actual gameplay* where you control a character, I don't think anything else comes even close to being so immersive of the scene that the story is telling to us.

For once, it really felt like this was a WAR. not a superhero comic book, but a story of ordinary humans struggling violently in vain against a greater power, incomprehensible to all.

third, to reiterate and also elaborate: what the FUCK, Helia!?

That was an absolute roller-coaster of emotions, especially because I did the first 2/3rds of Chapter 6 last night and saved the rest of Chapter 6 & then all of Chapter 7 for tonight. So I had only a brief break to do some other stuff at the end of Chapter 6 and dove right into Chapter 7, and had to process all of those feelings and scenes one right after the other. no giant several-week break to process everything T_T

Obviously Coralie's death was spoiled for me like a month and a half or two months ago, because CN server is far ahead and because it happened at the end of last version. But I still didn't expect it to play out THAT way, which came as a shock to me because I somehow didn't come across that specific part of the spoilers.

And the entire character arc Helia went through (well it seems like she's still got a ways to go) was just... holy shit. good lord. Mihoyo, what have you done!?? (/pos)

I don't really know if I'd call Helia a hero or a villain, or if it's even possible to cram her into that dichotomy at this point. I guess antihero might be the best way to describe her, but even that doesn't quite feel right.

It's clear to me that even if she somehow ends up "back to normal" in the future, she's obviously never gonna be quite the same. But I'm incredibly intrigued as to just how Wrong™ she'll end up being at the end of all this.

Like, even after all that she went through she reaffirmed her duty as a Valkyrie and her desire to avoid innocents, but she also still has that growing lack of empathy and cold attitude. She's no longer quite so mindlessly fanatical, but I find it hard to imagine she'll ever become so upright and kind as she once was.

So I honestly can't say I see her becoming a villain that would ultimately threaten the rest of the cast and bring harm to Luoxing or Earth... but I doubt she'll ever truly fit in with the ideal of a hero that she's always longed to be.

I'm sure there's still SOME potential development that will bring her into a "heroic" state, especially she ultimately hasn't ever committed such a grave sin as murdering an innocent person (unlike a certain Definitely Not Helia™ we've met). I'm sure she COULD still end up idolizing Durandal and striving to be a great Valkyrie.

But it also feels like there's a different path for her that none of the rest of the cast would dare to take, a path that doesn't bring her into being an antagonist but which still deviates far from the model Valkyrie we've been shown for all these years (from Durandal to Rita to Kiana and so on).

I honestly really like this sort of "cold but still fundamentally just" version of Helia. She's flawed but still willing to do what is right, even if she is doing it for entirely selfish reasons now.

In a way she now reminds me a bit of Lantern, but in an almost more cruel way. Lantern was always a dangerous person when on the hunt, but outside of her narrowly-focused combat mindspace she was always fairly calm and even gentle at times. Helia feels like a more chaotic and reckless form of Lantern now, and I really like seeing that because it's such an incredible contrast to all the other Valkyrie stuff we've seen before.

Point being, I absolutely ADORE this story arc and I'm blown away by just how far Mihoyo diverged from the stereotypical image of what a Valkyrie is supposed to be. We've had so many characters in the Hoyoverse (whether Honkai or Genshin or ZZZ) that were antagonistic or villainous at times, but I don't think we ever had any that were as unfeeling as Helia was in this story arc.

It's hard to find the exact words for it, but as someone that's played through nearly all of the story for Genshin, and Star Rail, AND ZZZ, not a single character felt like they hit quite the same antihero/villain vibes that Helia has hit in this story.

And to clarify, I'm NOT counting the scenes of the snowy battlefield as being explicitly "Helia". I know that those aren't the true experiences of Helia Erdös, after all.

But even when we just look at her behavior in the Dreamseeker system, when it's actually Helia in control, there's so much more cruelty in her behavior now: cruelty to herself, and to a lesser extent to others. It's her willingness to harm herself for power, and her contempt for others who stand in her way, and the way she has become so comfortable with battle now.

I really want to see what's going to happen next time she interacts with Durandal, now. I think what'd be most interesting to me personally is if Helia ultimately reaffirms her duty & identity as a Valkyrie, but completely drops any pretense of wanting to become a "hero" like Durandal.

A version of Helia where she doesn't even try to pretend to truly care about other people, but who will still fight for all that is beautiful in the world regardless of what others think of her. Someone who grows composed and calm but in a way that is not so much tranquil and peaceful, but rather cold and calculating.

If Coralie truly does come back, I can't help but wonder how she, too, would react to this new Helia. I imagine she'd still care for Helia, but it might be difficult for her to come to terms with this. It'd probably be upsetting for her, but perhaps Helia would find a way to connect in a more genuine manner with Coralie despite the change of heart she's had.

It's just... a lot. It's been a lot to process, I still need more time to process it, but I wanted to get these thoughts out now.

Though, at least I finally caught up w/ the story and found the motivation to share these thoughts before the next story comes out on CN.

Can't wait for the CN server to update and get their new story and for the rest of us to get flooded with more spoilers, weeks before we get to play the story for ourselves. yippee! /violentlysarcastic

When all is said and done, I really enjoyed these last two chapters. I still ultimately hold the opinion that Part 2 should've been a standalone game, but I can still appreciate what great work Mihoyo has done with Part 2 as-is.

I really enjoy that dynamic with Helia and Coralie, and all that Helia's gone through with Coralie now. This really might end up being one of my favorite story arcs, up there along with the SSHC arc, Arc City, Thunders Over Nagazora, etc.

[whateverfiction]

M & F.

Hitting it up with the small questions and the big answers, once again typing about the Cold War of black ops.

You should know who M & F are. Mason and Woods.

“Did Mason and Woods know about Bell?”

You catch my drift?

Interested? Go read. Today marks day one of ‘The Cold War Files.’ A series of blogs about the lore of BOCW.

Allow me you to take you back to 1968 for us to begin. So in 1968, there was fracture jaw. However, in the season one cinematic, we do see Adler interrogating Stitch, the knife and how Stitch pretty much lost his eye.

You see, when it zooms onto the picture of rebirth island, you can see the words ‘Operation Rebrith’ and the year 1968 on the picture.

On the wiki, it states that Adler took Stitch’s eye in an act of revenge for Weaver. So it wasn’t just to send a message to his boss.

Adler knew Weaver.

Why is this important? Well, we have to take a look at Mason first to further look at Adler.

Every black ops OG out there knows Weaver from black ops 1.

And while I’ve never played much call of duty and I am not an OG, I know Weaver was the voice asking the questions to Mason. He helped Mason out of brain washing and so did Hudson.

So, intially I thought that Mason and Woods were possibly fed different info as to who ‘Bell’ was because everyone on the team we know, knew about the brainwashed ‘Bell.’

There’s a lot of different info you could tell them as Adler. Adler is as much of an enigma as he is smart.

Such a topic might’ve been risky to let Mason or Woods know. Adler knowing Weaver opens up the possibility of knowledge that Mason was brainwashed.

Now you might think, yeah they didn’t know.

But there’s one hole in that logic.

Mason and Woods seen ‘Bell’ at the airfield which is the second mission you play on the game when trying to get Arash.

They would’ve recognised the masked face joining the team. That is, assuming ‘Bell’ still wore the mask upon joining.

Even if Bell was still wearing the mask and ended up ‘co-operative’ it still wouldn’t work and here’s why.

Adler talks to you as if he knows you. But it feels ‘distanced.’ A result of not letting your guard down.

So, I reckon ‘Bell’ might not of been wearing the mask since joining the team.

The whole Vietnam thing wouldn’t work as well if they recognised you from the airfield because how would that have worked, you wouldn’t be a ‘friend’ as such. So then they’d be keeping an eye too.

Everyone in the safehouse is wary of you throughout the whole game. The only people that seem not so suspicious of you is Woods and Mason if you watch or read all the dialogue. It’s not the same atmosphere. Woods after a moment of silence in one of the dialogues in the safehouse, chuckles with Mason and says that he’s just joking around. It’s like a ‘shoulda seen your face’ kind of thing. People don’t tend to poke fun so easily when things are tense and high alert. It’s a breath of fresh air when everyone else seems serious and wary of you. Something just feels different.

I wonder why Adler would’ve let you go with Woods alone that one mission called “red light, green light.” Woods was never going to ask anything if he did or didn’t know.

There’s many ways to go about this.

But both possibilities of them knowing or not knowing at all are high.

They don’t seem wary of you.

But if they didn’t know, would they have asked about the ‘live one’ from the airfield to see if there’s any info from them. Alder couldn’t say anything to suggest disposal of the first key crucial piece of evidence they’d found; being you. It wouldn’t sit right if the man who knew the most about Perseus just discarded the first real lead they got just like that.

Adler is a man on a mission, someone who does whatever it takes. He’d probably say that nothing is coming out of them. Someway somehow though, wouldn’t the question be raised again later?

Well by ‘Bell’ joining the team, there is new *stronger* lead. There’s no use for the previous one who gives nothing, is there? Bigger leads provide more. ‘Bell’ provides most because they have more personal ties to Perseus than Alder does.

Those months of ‘Bell’ and their mind being used as a tool gradually builds the brain of ‘Bell’ to trust Adler subconsciously. The subconscious is manipulated into feeling safe so they’ll actually give the info. It’s why the mission for Fracture Jaw is easy to give to Adler compared to when you’re out of the brainwashing and giving the whereabouts of Perseus. Your mind is now feeling something is wrong and is trying to fight it. It’s more evident if you choose not to listen, especially when the red doors start slamming down in front of you. You’re trying to ignore it but eventually you can no longer fight it, you see the answer of where Perseus is and then you get to tell the truth or lie. It’s like ‘Bell’ doesn’t want to know they answer so they cannot give it. But that’ll be explored more in another post.

But do Mason and Woods know that the masked person from the airfield and ‘Bell’ are the same person or the same lead?

It’s much too hard to truly put a finger on it. It’s highly possible that they did know. But they did know you were Russian or working for Perseus possibly. In the bad ending of the game, Woods will say “It’s him/her/them! They fuckin’ lied to us!��

They knew you’d told Adler where Perseus would be.

That doesn’t mean they knew you were brainwashed though, it could mean they were given a different story.

Adler asking “is this true, Bell”, says to me that everyone in the team knew you were working for Perseus initially before helping them. Had he told Woods and Mason everything and just left out the brainwashing is the most likely story. So it’s evident that even if he once knew you, you’d long been gone. That version of the story is the one Mason and Woods would’ve had if they didn’t know about the brainwashing.

Let’s narrow it down.

Woods and Mason simply knew and didn’t bat an eye because you weren’t one of their ‘own.’

Or……

Woods and Mason didn’t know because Adler left it out because he knew Mason was once brainwashed and it wouldn’t have been ideal to know that his own people were possibly no better than Russians. Mason was through hell, that we know. It wouldn’t have been a reassuring topic if he needed Mason’s mentality in good shape instead of possibly being reminded of the experience he’d been through.

Woods and Mason were the heavy hitters of the team and a duo. Them together is a combo.

So did they know?

It’s up to you.

[s3ibro]

➢ capitano brainrots !

// hi welcome to my brain dump i wrote this at 12:49 am

big man. prolly something around 213 cm / 7 ft? makes him very scary to stand face to face with. the mask doesnt help, it makes him feel distant and inhuman. although, there is an allure to it as well, a mystery you are desperate to get to the bottom of, an unbreakable attraction.

capitano has a habit of watching you from afar, grateful that his mask hides the truth of his gaze. he’s quite sure you would run, full of fear and regret, if you had even the slightest idea of how he truly feels for you. is it hatred? is it carnal desire? something else entirely? what is it that draws him to you? he despises that you are a distraction from his duty as a harbinger, he cannot remember the last time he was touched beyond a battlefield, he sees you smile and he feels that this could quickly become a problem. love has never been in the cards for the harbingers </3

When you’re constantly on the warpath, what you need to stay sane is stability, and that’s what he would look for in a partner. he would like the way you always ask how his day has been, how easily you settle into routine with him, how even so far from schneznaya, he can still a home with you around.

i feel like capitano’s love language would be physical closeness, not necessarily touch, but intimate closeness nonetheless. sitting on a sofa next to him, each of you busy with different things, but still together, silent but showing each other love through the simple of act of being together. or when hes in council and you speak up. one of his advisors is quick to shut you down but capitano is there behind you, strong and cold and comforting. the advisor doesnt try it again.

imagine his hands. large and calloused from decades or perhaps centuries of war, forever scarred from close calls and duels with fearsome enemies. imagine how stunned, how flustered, even, he’d be if you showed those hands affection; if you kissed them and held them and made sure that if the man they belong to ever fell in battle, they’d know love before that moment.

how would he feel if he were forced to betray you for the fatui? what comes first, his loyalty or his lover? in the end, i think he’d chose the fatui. centuries of loyalty weighed against a few more short decades with you,,, he tries to tell himself he’s seeing the bigger picture.

imagine capitano falling in love with you at first sight during a raid on a natlan village. you, so pretty with tears running down your face, weeping as everything you’ve ever known burns. he takes a brief moment to dismount his warhorse, stares down at you in utter silence. you wait for him to swing his blade and put you out of your misery; instead, he grabs you round the waist and hauls you onto his horse, mounts behind you, and as the town burns and the wind lashes your cheeks, youre left in utter shock with no choice but to hold onto him for dear life kinda wanna write this into a full fic but I have so many wips already dhsosoheks